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State halts mining near Kanawha forest

CHARLESTON (AP) — West Virginia environmental regulators have ordered a company to stop mining permanently at a surface coal mine near Kanawha State Forest.

Keystone Industries LLC signed the consent order with the Department of Environmental Protection last month to permanently halt Kanawha County mining operations near Marmet.

The Kanawha Forest Coalition, which has fought the Keystone Development No. 2 mountaintop removal mine for more than two years, will celebrate with an event Tuesday at the Capitol. The mine was within 588 feet of Kanawha State Forest and 1,500 feet of homes in Loudendale, and its permit allowed explosive blasting, the coalition said.

“This is a victory for the people of West Virginia and a powerful demonstration of the impact citizens can have when we take a stand, stay persistent, and don’t back down,” Coalition coordinator Chad Cordell said in a news release Monday.

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